Lau, Gotland

Lau
The Castal adjacent Lau Church
Lau
Coordinates: 57°16′58″N 18°37′13″E / 57.28278°N 18.62028°E / 57.28278; 18.62028Coordinates: 57°16′58″N 18°37′13″E / 57.28278°N 18.62028°E / 57.28278; 18.62028
Country	Sweden
Province	Gotland
County	Gotland County
Municipality	Gotland Municipality
Area
• Total	28 km2 (11 sq mi)
Population (2014)
• Total	227
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website	www.lau.se

Lau , is a settlement on the southeast coast of the island of Gotland, Sweden. Formerly a socken, on 1 January 2016, it was reconstituted into the administrative area Lau District. Originally an island, it is now part of the main Gotland island due to the isostasy. It is mostly known for the good water from the spring Lau Käldu.

The name Lau, in 1318 Law, means a "low meadow" or "meadow by water".

Lau dates back to Medieval times. It was originally part of the Burs thing, which in turn was in the southernmost of the three original districts (similar to ridings) that Gotland was divided into during the Middle Ages. In 1862, Lau became an independent municipality. In 1952, it was incorporated with Ljugarn municipality until all of Gotland became one municipality in 1971. The boatswains from Lau under the allotment system, were part of the Second Gotlandic Boatswains Company.

During the Stone Age, Lau was an oblong island where the inhabitants lived on the inside of the island's small points. A strait separated the Lau Island from the rest of Gotland. During the Bronze Age the isostasy elevated the land enough for a sand bank to form in the strait. The area became more populated and people settled down on the side of the island facing Gotland and along the bank.

The cross roads, where the road from the island met with the road along the coast, became a hub for the Lau socken. The area was high with a good view of the surrounding area, dry but with plenty of fresh water. This is where the first buildings in Lau for worship and assembly were built. The place is just west of the present-day graveyard. It is called Stavgard, a common name for places on Gotland where meetings were held during pre-Christian time.

The distribution of the farms in Lau was established during the Iron Age and has remained almost the same since then. During that time a hillfort, the remains of which can still be seen, was built at Botvidebackar on the northern tip of Lausbackars. It was protected on three sides by the steep slopes of the hill and on the fourth side was a dug moat with a bridge. During the 1890s, several of the smaller farms and fields were merged into larger units due to new land reforms.